System Green Line Start Bracknell bus station | Garage Slough | |
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Operator First Berkshire & The Thames Valley Via Windsor
Slough
M4 motorway End London Green Line Coach Station | ||
Green Line routes 700, 701 and 702 are limited-stop express bus services operated by First Berkshire & The Thames Valley under the Green Line banner from Berkshire to London.
Contents
History
Following deregulation of the UK coach market under the Transport Act 1980, London Country Bus Services commenced operating Green Line route 701 from Maidenhead to London, in conjunction with Alder Valley in May 1982. When Alder Valley was split in 1986, the route passed to the Berks Bucks Bus Company, which eventually became First Berkshire & The Thames Valley.
To bring together all of the Berks Bucks Bus Company routes which terminated at London Green Line Coach Station into one depot, route 702 was extended to Bracknell, previously only having run as far as Legoland Windsor.
To begin with, Jonckheere bodied Volvo coaches were transferred from Slough for the services. Armchair Passenger Transport’s London commuter routes C1 and C2 became Green Line route 701, with the existing Slough to London Green Line route 701 passing to Armchair.
The service was operated by a variety of coaches cascaded from First Berkshire & The Thames Valley's RailAir service including Berkhof Excellence 1000 bodied Scania N113CRBs and Irizar Century bodied Scania K114IBs as well as coaches from other FirstGroup subsidiaries.
In October 2008, three Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL double deckers, with coach style leather seating, were introduced on the routes.
Current route
Route 702 is the standard service, running the whole route at a basic hourly frequency. Routes 700 and 701 runs at peak times only, the former via Datchet in lieu of Slough and the latter serving some Bracknell housing estates.
Fares
Two fare structures are operated a pre midday structure, and a post midday structure with fares discounted by 40%.